One Tragedy After Another
by xStealthxSniperx
Summary: James Sullivan was just a normal pioneer boy traveling to Sacramento, California. He didn't ask for all these obstacles along the way.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **This is actually a project for U.S. History. We were required to pick one of six selections; one of which was to write three diary entries. You'll see when all of them are up, that I chose to write four for the sake of page-length.  
>Jimmy and his family are traveling to California in the Donner Party. When pioneers traveled to the West, tragedy wasn't uncommon; I tried to make this pretty realistic, so tell me how I did with that!<p>

**Disclaimer: **The members of Avenged Sevenfold and their families are the complete proud owners of themselves.

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><p><em><strong><span>May 22, 1846<span>**_

_We are leaving Missouri today. For several months we have been selling our useless possessions and packing up the essential ones. Pa said that once we reach California, all of this will have been worth it; all that gold will make our lives better. Ma doesn't quite believe him. I can tell by the way she crinkles her nose when he talks about it. She, too, is excited by the prospect of gold; of wealth, but she doubts our efforts will pay off. Kelly says that Ma's intuition has never been wrong, and I believe her. She's the oldest child after all._

_Pa decided a few days ago that we would travel with George Donner and his family. After we are added to their traveling party, there will be at least 87 of us. We will most likely travel in smaller groups on the way, but how interesting that shall be! This way, there is less chance some sort of wild beast will attack us. I've heard the stories; grizzly bears lumbering out from the underbrush, cougars leaping bravely off of rock piles. Each story holds a gory death, but also a heroic savior. With a party of 87, there will be more chance of survival. No one will be traveling all the way to California without a weapon._

_We are close to crossing the Missouri River. Pa feared we would lose many in those strong currents, and Kelly had to reassure him. Ma couldn't, she's close to giving birth. We worry that the stress of travel will affect the child, but she begs us to continue anyway. She wants a better life for the baby. I didn't worry about the river too much. We had many strong men who would dive in to save someone without a second thought; another benefit of traveling in large numbers._

_It was midday when we crossed the river. I misjudged it's width. It was not a petty little thing, as I first thought, but a generous length. The water rushed quickly, too, and we knew it would be hard to get across without losing something. I was sitting in the wagon with Ma and Kelly. Pa ordered me to before stepping out to get the oxen ready. As we started out into the swift current, I heard Mr. Donner yelling from the other side of the river. He was shouting encouraging words to the crossing wagons. I could hear him say that it was only rough in spots, but it already felt as if the wagon would be torn away from the riverbed and swept off by the raging waters. I could tell Kelly felt the same way; she was shuddering uncontrollably. I placed a hand on her shoulder, but said nothing. There were no words that could really help. It was only by the will of God that we got through it._

_It felt like forever and a half before we reached the opposite banks of the river. I heard Pa exclaim in relief; we were safe. He called me out to join him on the riding seat, and we looked out at the rest of the crossing wagons. We watched for a while, and suddenly a woman fell into the river! Pa and I gasped simultaneously as a young man jumped in after her. I could see her small frame being swept under the current and just like that she was gone. The man continued searching, but even a few hours later, he had no luck finding her. The bubbly young lass was gone forever._

_The rest of the day was spent traveling in near silence. Everyone was shaken by the quick loss. Ma cried for hours. Kelly comforted her for a while, then came out and walked with me. She said that Ma needed some time to herself. I didn't blame her. Even though it wasn't her child that died, I'm sure she knew that could happen to Kelly or me. That's enough to make even me double check my steps, making sure each one is safe._

_I can't help but wonder what California is like. I've heard stories from the boys in Independence how warm it is compared to Missouri. I definitely like the sound of that. It's too cold in the East. For now, I think I'll dream about that, instead of dwelling on this afternoon's unexpected events._

_~James Sullivan_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **This one is a little more violent than the first chapter, isn't it?

**Disclaimer: **The members of Avenged Sevenfold and their families are the complete proud owners of themselves.

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><p><strong><em><span>September 13, 1846<span>_**

_We should reach Sacramento soon. Before we even left Independence, Pa told me the plan; leave in May, arrive in September. I've listened to the leaders of the group talk at night. They say we are a little behind schedule, but as long as we pick up our pace, we should be basking in gold in a few weeks. Ma believes something is amiss, though. The animals are acting strangely, too. It is all we can do to pray that winter will not overtake us._

_Ma gave birth to Katie, a beautiful, healthy baby girl, in June. The birthing process was tough for Ma. There is a doctor in our traveling party, but he doesn't have the proper medication for childbirth. She had to endure all the pain and recovery on her own terms. With sympathetic intentions, Mr. Donner tried to find smoother paths. His wife had given birth a year prior to our departure, so he knew Ma's pain was extreme. Katie is as strong as the rest of the Sullivans, though. We will all make it through this._

_With an extra child in the picture, it's been hard to keep us all well-fed. Pa's had to bring out the gun quite a bit. We call it "drive-by dinner". Fortunately, the party is traveling slow enough that we don't get too far behind._

_A few days ago, we had trouble with a few wolves. They decided we were easy prey and attacked a few of the wagons. Just like the stories, a young lass named Margaret and her sister Matilda were killed. Their father, Bartholomew, was devastated. Mr. Donner had to force him to continue traveling. We stopped for a few hours to dig them a proper burial site, then left the area. Now whoever passes by will see two unfortunate souls laid to rest, marked by small, handmade crosses._

_Even tonight, after sunset, a coyote sneaked into our camp. We were just settling down, having prepared the animals for rest and setting out our sleeping supplies, when we heard a haunting howl. A feral growl followed shortly after, and a scream echoed through the camp. Pa and I dashed out of the wagon and saw Kelly being attacked by one of the beasts. Pa quickly grabbed a hammer from a leather pouch on the side of the wagon and smashed it into the coyote's skull. The animal whimpered feebly, collapsing onto the ground. Kelly stared up at us, wide-eyed. Her tears were mixing with the blood running from gashes on her cheeks. Immediately, we took her to the doctor._

_Gary Sanders was already preparing a space for Kelly when we arrived. We had carried her there for shock prevented her from walking. Mr. Sanders patted a space next to his son, Matthew, and got to work. He inspected Kelly's wounds first, telling Pa the damage. From what I could tell, it was bad. "Those coyotes have razor sharp claws and even sharper teeth," he muttered under his breath. Matthew motioned for me to talk to him for a moment. He told me he could understand his father's rambling, and explained Kelly's condition. Mr. Sanders had many salves and herbs for healing, but if infection sets in, she could die._

_That news had me stunned silent. I'd never imagined a life without Kelly. She was the perfect sister. We almost never fought, and she understood me when Pa and Ma didn't. She was the glue that holds our family together. Without her, I'm not sure how I could cope. Katie was still too young for me to tell her things she would comprehend._

_Mr. Sanders did all that he could, even saying a quick prayer with us, before he and Matthew bid us a good night. After taking care of the one coyote, the rest scampered off in fear. We weren't worried about them now. When we reached the wagon, Ma was asleep. We didn't wake her, but quietly set Kelly down to rest. Pa and I looked at each other and sighed. This trip is definitely not going to plan. _

_~James Sullivan_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Can you tell that this is a happy story yet? ...I thought not. XD

**Disclaimer: **The members of Avenged Sevenfold and their families are the complete proud owners of themselves.

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><p><strong><em><span>January 3, 1847<span>_**

_We didn't reach Sacramento in September. A few days after Kelly was attacked by the coyotes, Valary and Michelle DiBenedetto's wagon broke down. They were a pair of Italian sisters who had come to America to escape debt. The wagon's axle snapped and a wheel was splintered. Some of the sympathetic travelers, including my family, stopped to help with repairs. We figured it would only take a few hours, but repairing it took three days. Valary and Michelle wouldn't stop thanking us afterward. I wanted little to do with them. At the time, Kelly was still extremely ill and I just wanted to reach Sacramento as quickly as possible._

_A few weeks after that incident, Kelly died. She tried to hold on for as long as she could, but it became too much for her. I remember holding her in my arms as she took her dying breaths. I cried for a long time, not letting anyone take her corpse from my grasp. Ma was crestfallen as well. She didn't let any emotions through. She sat there, dead to the world, even after I stopped my sobbing. As soon as I stopped resisting, Pa took Kelly's body to a small clearing and buried her. A kindhearted mother came over to him and placed a wooden cross and some flowers in his hands. Soon enough, we were on the road again._

_Ma never really recovered. She just sat there in the wagon, staring at nothing. She never even shed a tear. Katie wailed and screamed for milk, but Ma wouldn't respond. There were no other breastfeeding mothers in our traveling party either, and we knew the babe would die soon; she wasn't quite old enough for solid food. Ma refused to eat, too. We would offer her food, even going so far as to forcing it into her mouth, but she would just clench her jaw and tighten her lips. We eventually gave up, though we knew she would die, too._

_Less than a week after that, Katie died. One day she just stopped fussing and when we turned around, Ma was holding her in her arms, tears streaming down her cheeks; both of her daughters were gone._

_After that, things only got worse. We stopped and made camp one night and woke up to snow the next morning. The silent storm had built up over five feet; far too much for wagons to travel through. We made ourselves cozy, knowing we'd be there a while. There were seventeen of us; the Donners, the Sanders, the DiBenedettos, the Bakers, and the Sullivans. We originally thought the snow would be temporary, but not only did it stay, it also built up more._

_We quickly ran out of our supplies. We had expected to be in Sacramento long before now, and hadn't taken enough food. Soon, we had to slaughter our oxen. It was nice to have fresh meat, but each bite was bittersweet. We had no way to move our wagon now. Ma still would not eat. With each day that passed, she got thinner. By the time we had to butcher the Baker's horses, she was skin and bones. It wouldn't be long before she succumbed to starvation's greedy grasp._

_And she did. Two weeks later, after we had almost lost all hope, she passed. Pa finally broke down. Seeing his wife's limp, lifeless body made him snap. I left him alone for the day, grieving silently. Matthew Sanders and Zachary Baker came over and comforted me, but eventually gave up. They knew losing half of their family would take a harsh toll on them, too. It was a price some pioneers had to pay, but I can't stop asking myself; why us?_

_A few days ago we ran out of animals to eat. Desperate, we turned to the only thing we could think of; humans. We hadn't had time to bury Ma, or Zachary's brother Matt, who had slipped away from hypothermia. We wouldn't do this unless absolutely necessary. I wonder if any of the other parties are trapped like we are._

_~James Sullivan_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **This is the last entry. Like I mentioned in the first chapter, I tried to make this pretty realistic. Please tell me your thoughts on that.

**Disclaimer: **The members of Avenged Sevenfold and their families are the complete proud owners of themselves.

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><p><strong><em><span>May 22, 1847<span>_**

_There are eleven travelers left, and we are finally in Sacramento. Apparently, rescue teams had already been planned, but a war against the Mexicans delayed their progress. Some had been sent out fairly early, too, but were casualties in the war called winter. Sometime in the middle of March, we heard the sounds of people. Immediately our strength returned and we rushed out to meet them. The ones who stayed behind quickly tidied up the camp. In our desperation, we ate savagely. We weren't selfish or greedy, but what we got we ate quickly. When the rescue party arrived at our camp, the bones of the dead were neatly piled up together. Though we were ashamed of our actions, we weren't going to hide them._

_The leader of the party, Brian Haner, told us Sutter's Fort was somewhat nearby. They would take us there to recover. This was after we told him of the cannibalism. We saw a few men in the party grimace in distaste, but even they couldn't deny it was out of hopelessness; a way of survival. As fast as we could, we grabbed our valuables and climbed in with the rescue team. I met Brian Haner, Junior. His father, Brian Haner, Senior, had taken them to Sutter's Fort a few years ago. They decided to stay there and help the stranded._

_We took a break halfway to the fort. Eating humans wasn't the cleanest of things, and several times, someone would vomit off the side of a wagon; there were four in all. After the respite, all of the younger men were grouped together in a wagon. That left me, Matthew, Zachary, Zina, who was Zachary's sister, Brian, and another Donner Party traveler, Jonathan. We chatted lightly, trying to figure out what was going on in the country. Brian told us of the Mexican war and of petty laws passed to prevent another one._

_We were hurrying to Sutter's Fort. Valary DiBenedetto acquired a nasty cough a few weeks back that soon turned into dry, wheezing heaves. Michelle seemed to be suffering from paranoia, dementia maybe, but neither of the Italian immigrants were well. We knew we needed a doctor with supplies as soon as possible._

_When we reached the fort, a group of men marched out. They asked for the wounded and sickly, so we gave them Valary and Michelle. Surprisingly, they were the only two ill enough to need immediate treatment. Then we went inside. We were met by curious stares and raised eyebrows. I'm sure we looked quite bedraggled. The mountains weren't kind to us, especially after five months._

_After unloading everyone, we were ushered into a building and sat at a dining table. Food was thrust in front of us and no one hesitated to eat. We tried to be civilized, but that proved difficult. We were starving, literally._

_For about a month, we stayed at Sutter's Fort for recuperation. Then we decided to head on to Sacramento with the Bakers. Zachary had grown close to me by then. We would often walk together on the trail and talk about the times before. Before this mess happened, and before half of my family died. As I grew closer to Zachary, I started telling him more about my family. I had shut that part of me away after Ma passed. It was too painful to bring back the memories. Zachary actually helped me, though. With every painful word that passed my lips, he helped me come back to the present. I haven't forgotten, nor will I ever, and I haven't gotten over it, but it isn't as unbearable as before._

_Ma's intuition seemed to have been wrong after all. When we reached Sacramento, we found a gracious plenty of gold. In honor of our lost loved ones, we bought a piece of land and made them graves. I'm not going to say I don't regret coming to California, for if we hadn't, Kelly, Katie, and Ma might be here now. But Pa and I got through it. We are the Sullivans; survivors of the Donner Party disaster._

_~James Sullivan_


End file.
